Sunday, January 29, 2006

Pink gorillas, French maids, and hula girls

Erinn Hutkin wrote this delightful story about the history of a singing telegram company in Roanoke.

The article says in part:

"There were pink gorillas, French maids and hula girls. There were babies, Santa's elves and the Easter Bunny. They dressed as everything, delivering an average of 45 telegrams a week.

There were messengers thrown in swimming pools. The messenger who walked through downtown Roanoke delivering a cake the wind smacked in his face.

There were the messengers who got snowed in at Catawba and had to spend the night dressed as Tarzan and Jane.

Based in Towers Shopping Center, Minnix usually had nine messengers. She went to high school drama classes to find employees. She went to singing groups, such as the New Virginians at Virginia Tech. Beauty pageant girls were good, too -- accustomed to being in the public eye.

But since that time, the guys and gals of Giggle Grammms grew up. Times changed, too.

In a post-9/11 world, Minnix would not feel safe sending a Playboy bunny to a bachelor party anymore."

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